Many of our patients wonder if wearing Invisalign will cause them to lisp. Here, our dentists explain how and why your clear aligners may impact the way you speak when you first begin your treatment.
Wearing any orthodontic appliance creates the potential to affect your speech, but Invisalign isn't likely to give you speech impediment or a lisp.
You may notice a slight lisp when you first wear your Invisalign aligners, but it is typically only obvious to you, is usually temporary and, if it persists, can easily be corrected.
Adjusting to Invisalign
Your mouth and tongue need to learn how to make sounds while wearing your new clear aligners, but this adjustment period is only temporary.
Once you get used to wearing the aligners, any speech impediments you experience in the beginning should go away on their own.
Speech impediments and lisps could be caused by Invisalign trays that are not fitted properly to your teeth. If you think this may be the case, contact your dentist to ensure your aligners are the right fit!
Correcting a Persistent Lisp
If you find that your Invisalign aligners do seem to cause a slight lisp that doesn’t go away naturally, you can correct it by simply practicing the pronunciation of words while wearing your aligners.
Reading aloud to yourself or talking with family and friends will help you to overcome a lisp and feel more comfortable speaking with your aligners in place.